Drinking cups are generally comprised of a container portion for holding the desired liquid and a handle for the person using the cup to hold on to. Generally, in order to be able to use a conventional drinking cup, a person must angulate his or her head backwards to avoid spilling of the fluid contents of the cup. This spilling occurs partly because conventional cups, in almost all cases, have a cylindrically-shaped container which does not provide sufficient clearance for the user's nose. In order to tip the cup to a degree sufficient to allow fluid, particularly thick, viscous fluids, to flow toward the mouth, the user is required to angulate his or her head while drinking. People suffering from dysphagia, a condition associated with difficulty in swallowing, often have trouble swallowing when the head is tilted due to a tendency to aspirate fluid into the lungs. This is sometimes a condition associated with having a stroke, head injury, or other neurological disorders and aging. Additionally, people so afflicted often encounter problems with liquid spillage when drinking from conventional cups due to the large radius of the rim.
It is known that swallowing in people suffering from dysphagia may be enhanced if the head is not angulated rearwardly while drinking. In an attempt to take advantage of this, conventional "nose-cups" have been designed which include a container part whose inner wall is circular in shape, but which is provided with a cut-out on the rim to accommodate the nose of the user, so that drinking can be accomplished while the user's head remains substantially vertical. However, such cups have an unusual appearance, which some users may find undesirable and thus avoid using. Additionally, such conventional "nose-cups" have cylindrical inner walls which do not facilitate controlled fluid flow, tending to lead to fluid spillage or the inability to empty cup of thicker fluids.
Conventional drinking cups also generally have small handles that accommodate only a few fingers of an average adult user. consequently, many older people have trouble holding on to such conventional drinking cups. These people may require the use of all four fingers on one hand or may need to use the palm of one or both hands in order to be able to elevate a drinking cup. This is especially true in the case of people with arthritis, who lack strength and often have gnarled fingers which may not securely grip the handle of conventional cups. The resulting instability may often lead to liquid spillage during drinking.